


Things Left Unsaid

by radiantgem



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fix-it fic, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Lance deserves better, M/M, Protective Keith (Voltron), basically fixing the ending of the feud episode, idk who that was in s7 but it was not My Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 16:17:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15644397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiantgem/pseuds/radiantgem
Summary: “Lance was always there for me when nobody else was, he supported me when I was chosen to become the new leader, and I wouldn’t be the leader I am today without him. And if he can help me be less reckless and bring out better sides of me, then he can do that for anyone outside,” Keith looked over at Lance and smiled softly, “The universe needs somebody like Lance to keep things in check, just like he has with me, and everyone else in this team.”





	Things Left Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> A mini s7 fix it fic for the ending of the feud episode. Lance was so sweet and genuine when he spoke about why he'd let Keith free, and I wanted to not only do Lance but Keith's character justice with this mini fic.

Keith was getting really, _really_ tired of being in this weird alien game show.

His eye wouldn’t stop twitching for the past five minutes, and his nails were digging into his palms from how hard he was clenching his fists. Every time Bob called Lance dumb, he saw a flicker of hurt appear in Lance’s eyes, the corners of his mouth turning slightly down before quickly covering it up. Bob was lucky Keith’s feet were stuck, or else he would’ve launched himself over the podium to clock him in the face a _long_ time ago for putting that face on Lance.

A blazzle hooch appeared near his hand, and he could hear Bob explaining the rules for the final part of the game.

“One of you will now be allowed to leave the game! The rest of you will be staying here with me forever,” Bob added with an evil grin.

Keith scowled. _The little shit._

 “You have blazzle hooches to write down your choice for who should get to escape on the screen in front of you.”

Keith could hear the timer go off as he looked down at his screen. If he could choose any one of the paladins to make it out here, well, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind as to who he’d pick. As he started writing, he thought of patient, brown eyes looking at him, a soothing voice calming his inner turmoil at the thought of Shiro being gone. He remembered the pressure of a warm hand on his shoulder, keeping him steady when he doubted his leadership abilities, to take on the role as the new Black Paladin of Voltron.

Keith thought of the boy who came into his room, who was willing to step down from Voltron if it meant having the best soldiers on the front lines, if it meant it gave them a better chance at winning this war. He was so confused back then. How could he even consider such a thing when Keith needed him to watch his back? To keep him in line and not do anything reckless? If he could become the one to control Keith’s inner fire, to become his impulse control and bring out the leader in him; the cadet who was infamous for having discipline issues, then he could bring out the best in whoever he encountered.

He thought of a distant memory he had seen back in his years on the space whale, one where he saw two small children run into Lance’s outstretched arms. There were more people, people that shared his brown skin, his curly hair, and his kind eyes, that joined in the dog pile. It filled Keith’s chest with a sweet ache, one where he knew this was Lance’s family, and seeing happy tears stream down Lance’s face, surrounded by the people who loved and raised him. It made him feel warm to see such a bright smile on his face after months of homesickness. It’s everything Lance deserved, and while he would have loved to see the reunion in person, if him staying in this stupid game show meant letting Lance go see his family and put that smile on his face for real, it was worth it. Even if he couldn’t see it for himself.

Keith must’ve gotten too absorbed into his own thoughts, because the walls separating him and the paladins were already down, and he could hear it was already Lance’s turn to speak. He wondered who he was gonna pick. Probably Allu-

“… I chose Keith,” Lance said.

It took all of Keith’s willpower not to let his jaw drop on the spot. He could feel heat gathering at the tips of his ears. _There’s no way._

“He’s our leader, and he’s half-Galran so, he’s like the future.” The smile Lance had on his face was so soft, so tender, that Keith could feel butterflies go wild in his stomach.

The back of his neck was on fire, and he willed any blood trying to flush his cheeks to stay away. He couldn’t help the pleased smile from stretching across his face though. _I’m the future to him._

Bob turned his attention to Keith and asked, “Keith, the leader, who do you think deserves to make it out of here, huh?”

Keith let the picture on his podium answer Bob’s question, and he frowned a little when he saw the look of shock on Bob’s face. Why was it so surprising?

“Lance? Why Lance?”

 _How could I_ not _choose Lance?_

“Lance was always there for me when nobody else was, he supported me when I was chosen to become the new leader, and I wouldn’t be the leader I am today without him. And if he can help _me_ be less reckless and bring out better sides of me, then he can do that for anyone outside,” Keith looked over at Lance and smiled softly, “The universe needs somebody like Lance to keep things in check, just like he has with me, and everyone else in this team.”

Lance’s eyes shot up to meet him in surprise, his mouth slightly agape in a small ‘o’. The audience awed at the confession, and Lance’s open mouth turned into an almost shy smile as his cheeks became dusted with pink. “Aww, thanks Keith. That really means a lot.”

Keith held Lance’s gaze, hoping the sincerity in his eyes were able to speak for him. He could vaguely hear Bob talking to Pidge in the background, but he was too focused on the way Lance would momentarily dart his eyes away, only for the color in his cheeks to darken, and for the smile on his face to become more bashful with every passing second. The sight made him overwhelmed with fondness over Lance, and he wished he could have walked over to him and pull him into a hug just for the sake of it. Especially if it was going to be the last time he’d see him before one of them were set free.

Suddenly, confetti started raining down from the ceiling as Bob exclaimed into the microphone that they seemed to have won. It shook him out of his reverie, but he grinned at the news that everyone in the team would be able to leave. _I guess I can still see him smile like that for myself now._

* * *

 

 A little while after everybody had woken up from their collective dream with Bob, Keith received in incoming call from the Red Lion. It was coming from a private channel. _Lance._ Keith felt his heart race a bit at the sight before he breathed out to calm down and accepted the call.

When he saw Lance’s face appear on the screen, Keith can see a tinge of nervousness in Lance’s eyes. “Oh, hey Keith.”

Keith’s eyebrows furrowed. “Lance? Everything okay over there?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to check in, ya know?”

“About what?”

“Oh, well. It’s- uh,” Lance started to play with his fingers and avoided looking Keith in the eye, a nervous tick Keith’s grown to recognize. “It’s about the game show.”

“Oh, yeah." Keith tried to understand why Lance was so nervous about it, when he remembered the flashes of hurt that appeared too many times in Lance's eyes. "Bob was a jerk wasn’t he?”

Lance scoffed, a tinge of anxiety fading from his eyes. “I'd say. I mean, hey, I know I'm not a genius but, I’m not that dumb.”

“You aren’t dumb though, at all.”

Lance blinked. “Huh?”

“Just because you’re not like Pidge doesn’t mean you’re dumb. I mean, we got into the same school right? That should say enough. The Garrison isn’t for everyone, I should know.” Keith smirked.

An unreadable emotion passed through Lance’s eyes before he lightly rolled them. There was a playful smile on his face, “Come on, Keith. The only reason you flunked out was cos of disciplinary issues. You’re like, a pilot genius.”

Keith couldn’t help his own mouth pulling into a grin. He couldn’t help it, Lance’s smiles were contagious. “Still, my point stands. If they gave you questions on like, how to help people when they’re going through stuff, you would’ve definitely nailed all of them. It’s one of the things you do best.”

Lance met his eyes, and he could see something a little scared and vulnerable in them. “You really meant that?” Lance’s voice turned quiet, almost sheepish.

Keith’s smile softened along with his gaze. _This boy is going to be the death of me._ When he spoke, his voice was low and sincere, “Of course I did. It’s what you do with the team all the time. Which reminds me, I guess I haven’t thanked you yet.”

Lance blinked his eyes repeatedly as he lightly cleared his throat. “For what?”

“For everything. For being there for me, keeping me in line, for supporting the team when I wasn’t here.” Keith averted his eyes as his cheeks began to warm up, before meeting Lance’s eyes head on. “For being my best friend.”

Lance blinked a few times, before breaking into a shaky smile. “Keiiiitthhh,” he croaked, “you don’t have to thank me for that.”

Keith averted his eyes, his face was on fire. “Well, I already did, so.”

Lance chuckled lightly, the sound getting a small smile out of Keith. “That was really sweet Keith. I didn’t know you were such a softie.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but gave Lance a shy smile, “Yeah yeah.”

“Thanks though, seriously.” Lance smiled warmly at him, “For what you said in the game show and, you thanking me. It was really nice.”

Keith looked at Lance, took in the touched look and how his heart skips a beat reacting to it. “What you said was really nice too.”

“Huh? Oh well, haha, I mean it’s true.” Lance’s eyes gave a determined light, “You’re gonna lead us into a new future.”

“With your help.”

“Oh, well, yeah! But with team too ya know? We’re all in this together.”

“Yeah, but. You’re my second hand man. I can’t do this without you, right?”

Lance grinned. “Right. Oh, and Keith?”

“Yeah?”

“I know we didn’t get off on the best start at first but,” Lance’s cheeks turned a little darker, even under the red lighting Keith could tell, but he made sure to keep eye contact, “I’m really glad my best friend is back. It’s good to have ya back buddy.”

Keith felt heat gather behind his eyes, so he closed them and softly scoffed. When he opened them again, he made sure to give Lance a grateful smile. “It’s good to be back, Lance.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please send kudos or comments!  
> You can find me on twitter @wayfinder_trio


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